Glossary of Used Book Condition Terms

For generations used book dealers and collectors have described the physical condition of a used book using certain terms, as follows:

Mint : When a book has just been flawlessly printed and flawlessly bound and has not yet been handled, it is in mint or pristine condition. When describing a used book, "mint" is an ideal condition and very rarely a reality. In the more than a quarter of a century before retiring that I was an antiquarian bookseller, I described tens of thousands of used books, and I described only two of them as mint .

Very Fine or As New: The book can readily pass as being brand new.

Fine : If it were shelved in a new books store, it would still pass as a new book, but it is in less brand new condition than a very fine / as new book.

Very Good (VG) or Near Fine: Describes a used book that is almost but not quite in fine condition. It would not quite pass muster as a new book in a shop dealing in new books. The book might have a lightly bumped cover corner or might have slight shelf wear. The dust jacket might be a bit rubbed along its edges and might have a few tiny edge chips.

Good Plus : Describes a used book that is at the high end of Good but not quite Very Good / Near Fine . (Used book dealers who use Near Fine might use Very Good in this sense.)

Good : Describes a used book that is complete, sound, and clean, with moderate signs of wear. The book may look somewhat shelfworn and may have bumped corners. Some pages may be dog-eared. A paperback book may have cover creases.The dust jacket may have more than tiny but still moderate edge chips or may have a bit faded spine. If there is a short, closed tear mended on the inside of the dj with archival tape, this should be mentioned.

Fair : This describes a used book with serious physical condition flaws but still complete and holding together. It may, for instance, have stains, or a split spine, or the binding may be cocked or starting to come loose. The dust jacket may have long tears or deep chips or may be stained or soiled.

Poor : Describes a book that is falling apart. Pages and portions of pages may be missing. The book may be damaged by, for instance, water, smoke, fire, animal bites, insects, or mishandling. The dust jacket is tattered or has large chips missing or has been scratched or scribbled on.

The dust jacket is customarily described separately, as in, "Fine in fine dj". "Lacks dj" is noted if it is. Best to mention if a hardcover book never had a dust jacket, as in, "Good condition. Without dust jacket as issued." (The "dust jacket" is also called the "dust wrapper", but don't confuse that with "wrappers" or "wraps", which refers to the covers of chapbooks, sheetmusic, pamphlets, and such,) In my book dealing days, I never described a book as anything better than very good if it lacked the dust jacket.

Else : This is used to make clear that a book has a fault but that the book is predominantly in better condition than the fault suggests. Example: "Small smudge on page 93, else fine ." Those who overuse or misuse else appear ridiculous, as in, "Pages water stained throughout, many pages dog-eared, extensive ink underlining, else very good ." (In that example I would replace ", else very good." with ". Fair.")

Collector's Condition: Generally speaking, the closer a book is to its original when published condition, the more it will appeal to a collector. A book in collector's condition is in at least fine condition -- or at worst is at the high end of very good , with no notable faults. The implication is that a book collector will not likely find a copy in significantly better condition. The opposite is reader's copy , which see.

Reader's copy: Often a book collector will in time own two copies of a books in the same edition and impression, one in collector's condition that is kept safely stored and brought out infrequently to show off, and the other with flaws and signs of wear that make it unsuitable for a collection. It is the copy that the collector reads for pleasure and does not mind letting about anyone handle. When seen in a catalog, reader's copy implies that one should buy that copy to read, not to collect, because it is somewhat worn or has flaws.

Binding copy Refers to a book whose cover and binding are in poor condition or lacking but whose pages are intact, so that it is a candidate for rebinding.

Working library: This is a group of books accumulated by their owner for their practical content. A writer is likely to have a working library of books on grammar, rhetoric, getting published, and techniques of writing. A baseball fan is likely to have a working library of books about baseball. And so on according to profession and interests. While a book collector wanting to preserve a significant book in as close to possible and affordable to its original condition will be choosy about condition, a customer buying to add to his or her working library will usually be satisfied with good or better condition.

For its age: This is a phrase sometimes used by inexperienced used booksellers and by some antique dealers, as in, "It's in very good condition for its age." When a seller thus describes a very worn, at best fair condition, book that is scarcely more than 100 years old, if that, remember the photo above of a beautiful copy of the Gutenberg Bible, taken more than 500 years after the book was printed and bound. Traditionally, antiquarian book dealers describe the physical condition of a used book by the same standards, whatever its age, and they avoid using this phrase.

With All Faults or w.a.f.: This phrase is used in auction catalogs. It's a caution to examine the book before the auction to see its physical condition for yourself.

Evaluating Condition

Describing the Physical Condition of Used Books Is Subjective

The use of these words describing the general physical condition of a used book is subjective. A book that to a person looks Fine one day might to that very same person look at best GoodPlus another day. One's judgement, for example, is different after looking at many very fine books than after looking at many merely good condition books.

The best a used book dealer can do is be as consistent as possible when cataloging, listing, or quoting books, so that customers know what to expect.

My usual practice was to describe a book as being in slightly worse condition than it actually was, so that a customer buying by mail from me was pleasantly surprised upon receiving it. (I also had the policy that the customer was the judge of whether a book was as I described it.) I did the opposite when I was the one buying by mail, expecting a book described as Fine to be at best Very Good and so on. That way I didn't waste time quibbling and was usually pleased by the copy I received. I learned by experience which dealers tended to overstate and which to understate a book's condition.

The terms I have been discussing apply only to the general condition of a book. Any notable faults should be individually described. Some of the frequently encountered notable faults are price clipped, remainder mark, bumped corner, former owner's name in ink, faded spine, and ex library, and there are many more.

Because book descriptions are subjective and because condition is a major factor in determining the value of a book – the worse the condition, the less the demand – as a general rule a used book dealer will not offer a purchase price, and a book appraiser will refuse to appraise a book, sight unseen.

Learn More

Alibris Glossary of Book TermsAlibris is an online site via which used book dealers sell their books. This glossary is how Alibris defines commonly used bookseller terms.

Abebooks Book Condition GlossaryAnother website where used book dealers sell their books is abebooks.com/ and here are its suggested definitions of book condition terms.

IOBA Book Condition DefinitionsThe Independent Online Booksellers Association is a trade association dedicated to promoting Internet bookselling by maintaining and promoting high ethical
and professional standards for members. This link is to IOBA book condition definitions.

Questions & Answers

Questions must be on-topic, written with proper grammar usage, and understandable to a wide audience.

Question:

When describing the condition of a used book, is it valid to do so with a remainder mark as being "Near Fine"?

Answer:

Yes, I think so, provided you mention the remainder mark or say in the intro to a sales list that some of the books listed are remainders, perhaps with a bold R in the descriptions of those books. Also provided, of course, that the book IS otherwise near fine and that the remainder mark isn't exceptionally unsightly. Also, a lot depends on context. Few remaindered books belong in a sales lists of fine collectible books.

COMMENTS

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sending

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

7 months agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Thanks, Peg

Peg Cole

8 months agofrom Dallas, Texas

These descriptive categories are important for book sellers to know. I wish I had read this article when I used to sell used books on eBay. I'll imagine you saw some interesting titles during your career. Thanks for the clarification on describing used books.

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

8 months agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Thanks, Bill. That practical how-to hub has been my least unpopular. I hope and expect to write another before long—perhaps how to price or appraise a used book. It's been over a dozen years since I retired from book dealing. The basic principles stay the same, like, "One person's junk is another's treasure."

Bill Holland

8 months agofrom Olympia, WA

I found one I hadn't read and, of course, it was highly interesting. Thanks for sharing your expertise!

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

16 months agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

I'm adding Duckworth Mark to my customized Glossary of Book Collectors' and Booksellers' Glossary of Terms.

Ducktight

16 months ago

Thanks so much for your quick reply. I'm surprised that someone hasn't coined a proper word for it. They certainly happen often enough, both large and small. Maybe I should claim the name and from now henceforth it will be called a Duckworth Mark :)

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

16 months agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Oops, in my reply to Ducktight I wrote Duckworth by mistake.

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

16 months agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

As best I know, Duckworth, there is no particular word or phrase that describes that situation. If I had such a book in stock and were quoting or listing it for sale, I would describe the dust jacket much as you did-- perhaps something like, "Impression of writing on dust jacket. Apparently someone once wrote on a piece of paper resting on the book." ('Impression' popped into my mind. I'm not sure it is the mot juste.)

I would try to avoid acquiring such a book for resale. A defective book is hard to sell and takes extra time to describe.

Ducktight

16 months ago

Hey, thanks for the very useful article. I am wondering how to describe the type of dent one would get if a book were used as a surface to write a letter on. Usually the mark I am thinking of is on shiny covers and it doesn't break the skin of the cover but it leaves a sort of embossed mark.

Any thoughts?

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

3 years agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

You are welcome, Glenis. I wish you success selling those books.

GlenR

3 years agofrom UK

I found this hub very useful as I have recently started to sell some inherited books online. I have posted a link to it on my own hub.

GlenR

3 years agofrom UK

Very helpful article. I recently found at stash of books in my father's attic and am marketing a few of them, so the terms that are used to assess the condition of a book will be useful. Thanks.

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

3 years agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Thanks, ajwrites57. Glad you've found it useful.

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

3 years agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

It has been a decade since I retired from my antiquarian book business. I expect that the professionals are still using the traditional terminology, such as members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association [of the United Kingdom] and of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.

AJ

3 years agofrom Pennsylvania

Thorough and informative Hub for those interested in buying and selling books! Enjoyed the Hub B. Leekley ! Shared and voted up!

Nell Rose

3 years agofrom England

This is great info for anyone who is in or starting in the business, I get confused sometimes with the different jargon so this is really useful.

Colin Neville

4 years ago

Indeed!

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

4 years agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Colin, I agree about the importance of photos. The written description should be thorough enough to stand alone, and photos further clarify the condition. Back when I was book dealing I'd offer collectible books on eBay and I'd always show 12 photos of each book, as they recommend. That way I could show the bibliographic details and the general condition and also close-ups of any defects -- or if none, I'd show illustrations or some other appealing feature. And about fine press books with defects, I ended up with many of those in my "personal collection" of unsaleable books. Eventually they went to the Salvation Army. For instance, my father, a book dealer before me, himself collected books designed by Carl Purington Rollins. After my dad died, my mother brought me into the business. We intended to eventually offer the Rollins collection as a collection, but it was among the books caught in a basement flood from a caved-in sewer down the street. So goes book dealing and collecting.

Colin Neville

4 years ago

Very comprehensive article. These descriptions, matched with a photograph of the book, are doubly important when selling on line. I am surprised at the number of dealers who don't bother to put photographs of the books they are advertising on ABE, particularly when there are others of a similar price for sale. I sell fine press books, which must be at least VG+, as collectors of these books are very particular, rightly so, about condition.

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

5 years agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Thanks, Deltachord. \

Deltachord

5 years agofrom United States

Interesting information for us book lovers.

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

6 years agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Thanks for commenting, Barbara Kay. It's been quite a few years since I last found a "sleeper" -- a used book worth much more than the seller realized. As for describing books you sell, the main thing is to be consistent, so that your repeat customers know what you mean by the standard terms.

Barbara Badder

6 years agofrom USA

I've sold old books and always wondered if I described them as I should. Thanks for an excellent hub on the subject. I agree that good sell-able books are hard to find unless you are only going to get a pittance for your profit.

AUTHOR

Brian Leekley

6 years agofrom Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

dahoglund, I agree finding sell-able books is hard these days -- meaning books one can make money on buying and selling. I used to be able to buy desirable books at resale shops and estate sales and such and triple or better my money when I resold them. Nowadays thanks to the Internet global market, people sell their own books, for a smitten if common. Only scarce and uncommon books are worth dealing in, and I don't have the capital for that. Or one must buy and sell in volume or meet a niche demand. Pick the brains of the book dealers in your area to learn what is working these days.

Don A. Hoglund

6 years agofrom Wisconsin Rapids

After I retired from my job about ten years ago I sold books on line until an illness interfered.It was instructive and I might be inclined to try it again except for the problem of finding good sell-able books.

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